What Happens Now? Season 2
by Ariaaa
Summary: Is Hanna okay? Who will Aria choose? Who is 'A? Season 2 begins!  Written by the writers of Why We Cant Go On and The Places You Have Come To Fear The Most!
1. Episode 1 Preview

**This is just a preview, I will post the whoel first episode on TUESDAY! For now you'll have to use this to tide you over! Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

The girls were forced to stand in the background while the medics stood over their best friend. They were scared. As they stood there, Aria wiped a tear away from her cheek and the pain was clear on Emily's face.

"'A' has gone too far this time," Spencer said angrily.

Aria took a deep breath, "but didn't we see this coming! 'A' wants us all dead!"

"Who cares! I'm not going to let that bitch get away with this!"

"What are we going to do, Spencer? There's nothing we _can_ do!" Emily objected.

"Hanna knew something,' Spencer said with solidarity, "No matter what it takes, we're going to find out what that was."

"Exactly, Spencer!" Aria yelled, "Hanna knew something, and she's on a stretcher now! We're not going to risk loosing you too!"

"Its not your choice!" Spencer yelled back.

'Don't be so reckless!" Emily warned her.

"Come on! 'A' just possibly killed our best friend! Are you just going to sit in the background and let her/him get away with it/!"

Aria grabbed her arm, "No! But your not going to do it like this! You've got to calm down! Right now your doing exactly what 'A' wants you to do! She's trying to drive us apart. She wants you angry and reckless so that she can take us out easier. We have to calm down!" Aria yelled.

Spencer took a deep breath and silently admitted that she was right. She yanked her arm away from Aria and stood back with her arms over her chest, watching as they put Hanna into the ambulence.


	2. Episode 1: Truth Be Told

The girls were forced to stand in the background while the medics stood over their best friend. They were scared. As they stood there, Aria wiped a tear away from her cheek and the pain was clear on Emily's face.  
"'A' has gone too far this time," Spencer said angrily.  
Aria took a deep breath, "but didn't we see this coming! '"A' wants us all dead!"  
Who cares! I'm not going to let that bitch get away with this!"  
"What are we going to do, Spencer? There's nothing we can do!" Emily objected.  
"Hanna knew something,' Spencer said with solidarity, "No matter what it takes, we're going to find out what that was."  
"Exactly, Spencer!" Aria yelled, "Hanna knew something, and she's on a stretcher now! We're not going to risk losing you too!"  
"It's not your choice!" Spencer yelled back.  
'Don't be so reckless!" Emily warned her.  
"Come on! 'A' just possibly killed our best friend! Are you just going to sit in the background and let her/him get away with it/!"  
Aria grabbed her arm, "No! But you're not going to do it like this! You've got to calm down! Right now you're doing exactly what 'A' wants you to do! She's trying to drive us apart. She wants you angry and reckless so that she can take us out easier. We have to calm down!" Aria yelled.  
Spencer took a deep breath and silently admitted that she was right. She yanked her arm away from Aria and stood back with her arms over her chest, watching as they put Hanna into the ambulance.

They all sat quietly in Emily's car as they drove through town. The ambulance had left several minutes before and they all wanted to be at the hospital for Hannah. As they passed the old church, Emily's expression changed from sadness to shock.  
The church was surrounded by police cars. Emily slowed to a near stop and her eyes met Toby's. He was sitting in the back of one of the police cars. Handcuffed, caught.  
"A isn't Toby," Aria whispered, shocked. They sat quietly for a few seconds. "I don't think he was the secret boyfriend. I think we were right, Ali never would have dated him," she said in realization.  
"We know," Emily said in a low voice, "We didn't see A tonight, but..." Emily stated but cut herself off before she finished the sentence.  
"The secret boyfriend. It was Ian," Spencer added not taking her eyes off her Toby.  
"Wait Ian? As in, Melisa's ex Ian?" Aria asked confused.  
Spencer nodded quietly.  
Aria kept quiet for a few seconds trying to take in what her friends had just told her.  
Emily pulled away from the curb and began driving again. The rest of the drive was spent in silence.  
"Where the hell were you anyway?" Spencer asked as they stepped out of the car and walked in through the emergency room doors.  
"I was just looking for you guys," Aria said in an obvious lie. She wasn't sure what to say. Everything was coming out. Each of their deepest darkest secrets were being spilled and as bad as it seemed... maybe it had to happen.

The girls waited, and soon they saw the medics bringing in Hanna on a stretcher. The hurried to follow her, but were stopped by a nurse.  
"You guys can't go in there," She told them.  
"Please, she's our best friend," Spencer objected.

"I'm sorry, you guys are going to have to wait until she comes out," The nurse told them, and walked away.  
"What do we do now?" Aria asked.  
Emily surveyed the waiting room, "I think the cops have an Idea," She said. The others whirled to see Detective Wilden and the FBI agents standing in the doorway. It was only a moment before they spotted them and came over for a chat.  
"Can we have a little talk?" Detective Wilden asked.  
"If you don't mind, right now's really not a good time," Spencer said.

"Come with us," The FBI agent demanded.

The three girls traded a look, but agreed to follow the cops. They were taken into a conference room in the hospital. Wilden sat them down and immediately started asking questions, "We caught Toby Cavanaugh. Did you know that?"

"We saw him in a cop car on the way down here," Emily told him.  
Wilden nodded, "He's on his way down to the precinct. But I have some questions for you girls." None of the girls responded so Wilden kept talking, "I spoke to a girl named Mona before I came down here, and she told me that Hanna wasn't at her party. So why was Hanna up in the woods?"  
Spencer thought fast and came up with an answer, "We were getting a little annoyed at the party, and we wanted to go home. I called Hanna to come pick me and Aria up."  
"Why didn't you all go in Emily's car?"  
"My mom doesn't allow me to drive with other people in the car. She thinks it's a distraction," Emily said.  
"Ahh, I see. So why don't you describe what happened right before you saw Hanna get hit then?" Wilden requested.  
Spencer, always the fastest on her toes, came up with a story, "Well, we got a text from Hanna saying that she was there, but that she'd had to park down the road because of the party. The parking lot was full. So she told us to meet her in the parking lot and we'd walk to her car together, but somewhere along the way we got separated from Aria, so we went searching for her. We finally found her and we made our way to the parking lot. Just in time to see Hanna get run over."  
"Mmhmm, And where were you Aria?"  
"Huh?" She asked confused. She couldn't answer the question.  
"When you weren't with your friends. Where were you?"

Aria's heart was racing faster and faster by the second. "I... um," Aria started but was stuttering. She took a deep breath, "My mom had texted me, so I had went to find somewhere a little quieter to call her. She didn't answer so I tried a couple more times," Aria lied hoping she sounded more convincing than she thought, "After a while I gave up and went back to the party but I couldn't find Spencer or Emily. I went looking for them but obviously I didn't go in the right direction."  
Wilden looked at Aria suspiciously. She knew she probably did not sound very convincing, "Did any of you see who was driving the car?" Wilden asked after a few seconds.  
"Of course not, if we had we wouldn't be sitting here with our mouths shut. Hanna's are best friend," Emily said semi sarcastically.  
"You know I'm having a bit of trouble here. How come whenever anything happens in this town you four are right there? I'm really getting tired of all the secrets," the detective told them.  
Aria sighed deeply. "You know what I'm getting a little tired of? You not doing your job. If Toby had a car you wouldn't have caught him waiting for a ride. So why don't you stop bothering us and go find out who hit Hanna?" she told him regaining some of her confidence.  
It was quiet for a few seconds. A smirk came over Detective Wilden's face, "How did you know Mr. Cavanaugh was waiting on a ride?" he asked.

Spencer looked at Emily's scared face. "You know what Mr. Wilden we've tried to cooperate with you. We're minors. If you have anything else to say to us you can go through our parents as my mother already told you. Sir," Spencer said standing up, "Come on Aria, Em. Let's go see if Hanna's mom is here yet," she said motioning them to follow her which they did graciously.

The girls exited the conference room and found their way to a quiet back hallway.  
"What is up with all the questions?" Aria asked her friends.  
"I know. He tells us every time it's not an interrogation, but it sure as hell feels like one," Spencer whispered harshly.  
"Guys, I think we should get back to the waiting room, before Wilden sees that's not where we went," Emily told them jumpily.  
They nodded and okay'd and the three of them made their way back to the waiting room, where they found Mrs. Merin speaking with a doctor.  
"...eres just nothing more we can tell you now," The doctor told her.  
"Well can I see her?" Ashley demanded.  
"I'm afraid she's not allowed visitors right now."  
"Goddamnit! She's my daughter! I should be allowed to-"  
Spencer rushed up behind her and took her shoulder, "Miss. Merin," She said softly coming up beside her.  
Ashley looked up at Spencer and took a deep breath to calm herself, "Well, let me know as soon as you do have something to tell me," She told the doctor.  
"I will," the doctor nodded and walked away.  
Ms. Merin turned to Spencer, "Thank you for saving me."  
"Don't mention it," Spencer replied, guiding her to a chair, "Besides, we can probably tell you more than he can."  
The girls explained to Ms. Merin what they knew. At least what they could tell her of what they knew. They could tell she seemed uneasy through the entire conversation.  
In truth she felt jumpy. Her purse was still loaded with cash, and she had no way to hide it.  
It was hours later before a doctor finally came out to speak to them.  
Hanna was stable, but she hadn't regained consciousness, and, as of right then, there was nothing they could do. The doctor advised them to go home and rest.  
The three girls went their separate ways as Emily dropped them off one at a time at their houses.  
Aria was the first to be dropped off. She'd been ignoring her phone since Hanna'd gotten hit, but she looked at it to see she had 6 missed call and a text.  
All of the calls were from Noel. She listened to the few frantic voicemails he'd left her.  
_"Aria, It's Noel, again. I heard something went down at the campground. Please call me to let me know your okay."_  
_"Hey, I'm really starting to get worried. They've got Toby's arrest and the campground indecent all over the news now. Please call me when you get this._  
_"Aria, I swear if I don't hear from you soon, I'm driving up there. I'm freaking out. Call me."_  
Aria sighed. She was in the worst situation right now. Little did her boyfriend know that the biggest issue was not Toby or Hanna's incident, but where she'd been before all of that?  
She pulled up the text last.  
**Tell me your okay. – Ezra**

Aria walked up the stairs her phone in her hands and sat down on her bed. She stared at the phone in her hands. "Life is too complicated," she whispered to herself as she lay back shaking her head.  
This evening with Ezra had been... in short, great. But things just couldn't stay that way for long.  
**Don't worry I'm okay - Aria**  
As she sent the text message she let out a sigh. She wished she could just be with him right now... let him hold her, kiss her, and help her forget her fucked up life.  
She debated about it for a few seconds before sending another message, this time to Noel.  
**Sorry I didn't respond. We were at the hospital with Hanna. Don't ask, we don't know how she's doing :( I'm home tho and ok so don't worry. It's been a long day. I'm just gonna go to bed. ttyl nite - - Aria**  
She knew it was probably a little vague and cold but what could she say. That's how she felt right now... lost, confused, and empty. She sat in her dark quiet bedroom turning her phone over in her hands waiting for Ezra to respond.

Meanwhile Spencer sat on the front porch of her house. Emily had dropped her off several minutes before but she couldn't bring herself to go inside. She couldn't listen to her parents rant about how tonight would look.  
One of her best friends was murdered and the other one was just ran down by some psycho stalker freak. The least they could do was be slightly sympathetic; after all it wasn't as if any of them choose to live this way.  
She thought about what she and Emily had read that evening. _Allison + Ian_. No wonder she called Spencer a skank for kissing him, 'she was into him,' she thought shaking her head. She stood up and walked inside praying her Dad was already in bed and hadn't been watching the news.

It was late by the time Emily made it home. She was hoping her parents were asleep, but she wasn't betting on it. Emily pulled her keys out as she walked to the front door. She walked inside and the moment the door clicked shut she could hear her parents get up from the couch.  
They rushed up to meet her and both of them hugged her right away.  
"Thank god you're okay!" her mom shrieked.  
"Mom, please," Emily said, pulling her mom off.  
"What do you expect, Emily? You didn't return any of our calls," her father said.  
"You called?" Emily asked in surprise. She knew she had left her phone on loud. Why hadn't she heard it?

"Yes, several times!" her mother told her.  
Emily poked down at her bag to search for her phone and realized she only had her small purse, "Crap, I'm sorry mom. In all the fuss I forgot my bag at the campsite. I'm betting Aria and Spencer did too."

Aria sat in her room thinking. Ezra had responded. After finding out her dad was not home tonight he had been worried and asked her to come over to his apartment.  
She was scared. Of course she wanted to see him, wanted to be with him... but she just was not sure if that was the best thing to do right now. She still had so much to figure out. She knew she loved him there was no doubt in her mind when it came to that. But if she broke up with Noel, he'd know. After that afternoon at the school he would know and who's not to say he wouldn't turn them in. And lastly there was the fact that the last time she'd been over there he had kicked her out. Nothing anymore was easy.

Spencer lucked out. When she finally dragged herself inside all the lights were off. This meant that her parents were in bed, that they had slept right through her nightmare of a night.  
In many ways this was easier for her. She was exhausted physically and emotionally. She wanted to just fall into her bed and sleep for days or until they knew how Hanna was doing whichever came first.  
Spencer knew that in the morning when her parents turned on the news it would be hysterics in the Hastings household. As she fell in to bed she just hoped that she would be given the strength to survive it.

Emily's parents had been upset. But not at her. They had seen police at the Cavanaugh's and when they turned how the news all they were hearing was how a group of girls had been involved in a hit and run that was somehow connected to the death of Allison DiLaruentis.  
They had known Emily was one of the girls. They didn't know if she was okay, hurt, anything. As Emily told them the same story they had told Hanna's mother she began to cry. She was worried about Hanna and she was worried about the rest of them. A was watching... and she knew it.

The next morning was complicated for each of them. Spencer rose early and managed to make it out of the house before her mother's five thirty a.m. Wake up call. Of course at 5:15 in the morning, where could she go? There was not a single place in rosewood that was open at this time in the morning.  
Spencer ended up going to the hospital in hopes that she could get in to see Hanna ebb if she couldn't talk to her. She arrived and she was grateful as a nurse led her to Hanna's room.  
The lights were on, but that didn't matter, Hanna was fast asleep. She looked worse this morning than she had last night. There were bruises wherever her skin showed, and Spencer had no doubt that they covered the places she couldn't see as well.  
Spencer stood sadly over Hanna. There was nothing she could do for her.

"Spencer?" she heard someone ask from behind her.  
Spencer whirled around to find Ms. Merin standing in the doorway, "Ms. Merin. You already here," Spencer stated.  
"I never left. I stayed here. I haven't slept either."  
Spencer nodded, "where'd you get that?" she asked nodding to the cup of coffee in her hand.  
"oh, down in the cafeteria," Ashley told her.  
"I'm going to go get some," Spencer said.  
Ashley nodded and let her through the door.

Several hours later Aria was driving to school in her small blue car. She hadn't gone to Ezra last night. She hadn't replied to his text. She had fallen asleep drowning he own pool of thought.  
As she pulled into a spot she could see Ezra getting out of his car in the teacher lot. She considered weather or not to avoid him.  
Suddenly someone came up behind her and put their hands over her eyes, "Guess who?" she heard Noel's voice come from behind her.  
She turned around and smiled, "Good morning," it was strange. Even with the moment she'd had let night, being with Noel still felt amazing.  
"You made it," he said.  
It hadn't even occurred to Aria that it was Sunday, and that she and Noel had a poetry club meeting. Of course, Ezra was part of that meeting too.  
"Yeah," she said, "I was at home after the incident last night, and there's not really much I can do for Hanna. I needed something to get my mind off it," she made up instead of telling him that she'd honestly thought it was Monday.  
"Are we still on for this afternoon?" Noel asked.  
Aria glanced at Mr. Fitz, now walking into the school building, "uh, yeah. Yeah we are."

Noel and Aria walked into Mr. Fitz's classroom together. As they sat down holding hands Aria made sure to avoid his eyes. She was scared of what she would feel if she did... so she kept her eyes on Noel as he spoke nodding with a half smile.  
Ezra looked at her and was instantly angry. She was still with him. He had told her he loved her. Last night they had been together and he really thought she had forgiven him.  
"Okay. So the first poem we're going to be reading this morning is one I actually wrote," Mr. Fitz stated as he started the meeting, "I didn't think it was worth publication but some other people did so I figured we could start with this," he said looking directly toward Aria and Noel.  
" B-26  
It's a Number.  
It's a Song.  
It's a Girl."  
He read. As he read through the poem Aria had to take a deep breath. It had been bad enough simply reading it Friday. But to have to hear the words spoken in his sweet voice was enough to make her cry right there in front of everyone. She bit down on her lip to keep herself from crying, and by the end of the poem she was biting down hard enough to nearly draw blood.  
Luckily nobody noticed, not even Noel. They were all too focused on Mr. Fitz.  
"Now can anybody take a guess as to what this poem was written about," Mr. Fitz asked the group.  
"It's about a girl," a girl across from Aria said, "It's a love poem."  
"Right. It's a collaboration of moments with one girl. Simple things that lead to falling in love," he explained turning toward the girl for a moment but then bringing his eyes back to Aria.  
Just then Aria's phone buzzed, she took it out of her purse and opened up the text message hoping it was about Hanna, but was instantly disappointed.  
**We know who it's about huh Aria. I bet your little boyfriend Noel would love to know, too! What do you think - - A**  
The poetry meeting did not get any better as they analyzed the meanings of every line in B-26. It was like having to relive every moment they shared together.  
When the meeting was finally dismissed an hour later Aria was relieved. She had concluded that it probably wasn't the best decision when she was trying to get her mind off of things, to come and be with one of the very people troubling her.

After she left the hospital, Spencer went to the grill. She sat there alone until she couldn't take it anymore. She knew Aria would be busy with Noel, so she texted Emily.  
Emily met her at the grill soon after.  
"How was it?" Spencer asked, "With your parents?"  
Emily sighed, "Fine I guess. They're still totally flipping out. Oh that reminds me, I need to go back up to the campsite. I left my stuff."  
"Oh, crap, I did too," Spencer said, just realizing it, "I don't want to go back there though."  
Then both the girls' phones rang.

**Scavenger hunt's not over bitches. You can still find me – A**

Aria and Noel packed their things in silence.  
"Hey are you okay?" Noel asked.  
"Huh, yeah. I'm fine," Aria said wiping her cheek to be certain that there were no tears there.

"Aria."

She looked up at him, "Yes?"  
"Wasn't that the poem you and Mr. Fitz were arguing about on Friday?" Noel questioned.  
Aria looked down, "I don't want to talk about it."  
Noel knew instantly he was right. They walked out into the hallway and were almost outside when Aria stopped, "I forgot, I need to get something from my locker. I'll meet you at the house, okay?"  
"Okay," Noel said uncertainly and let her hand go. Aria pecked him on the cheek and turned towards the hall that would take her to her locker.

Aria waited until she was certain he would be gone, and stalked back to Mr. Fitz's classroom.  
She went into the room and closed the door, "What the hell was that?" she demanded of Ezra.  
"What the hell was that? What about you? You come in her with Noel on your arm after what happened between us last night?"  
"God Ezra, you don't see it do you? Who knows how much Noel heard on Friday. If I break up with him now, he'll know something's up! I'm protecting you Ezra!"  
"You can't expect me to sit by and watch while you dote on him all day. I won't sit through it."  
"You have to Ezra," Aria said solidly. Then her voice calmed and she stepped forward taking Ezra's hand, "for us."  
She looked up to meet his eyes and he melted in them, "Can I at least see you tonight?" he asked.  
"I have to spend the afternoon with Noel, but I can come over tonight," Ezra ground his teeth, "Please, don't be upset," Aria coaxed. Ezra took a deep breath.  
"What time?  
"10," Aria said.  
Ezra smiled and leaned down to kiss her, without the fear of anyone seeing.

Across town Spencer and Emily were getting out of Emily's car in an abandoned parking lot.  
"Are you really sure we should be here... alone" Emily asked looking around?  
There was dried blood only a few feet away where Hanna had been laying until the ambulance had shown up last night.  
"A wouldn't still be here Em" Spencer said trying to ease some of her fear. As she looked around the parking lot she felt a chill go down her spine. "Lets just get our stuff and then we can hurry and get the hell out of here" she told her leading the way into the deserted campground that had been the site of Mona's glamping party.  
As they made their way to where they had left their bags they looked around. The place was empty now. The dreary rain, fog, and emptiness had a near ominous effect of the place. After the events of the previous night it looked as though everyone had grabbed their stuff and left without even bothering to clean up.  
The girls picked up their bags and turned around to leave.  
As they reached the car again Emily's eyes returned to the dark red blood stains on the pavement. She was quiet for several minutes. "I think we should go back to the hospital, if one of us isn't there when she wakes up she might not know what we told the cops" Emily said quietly as they got back into her car.  
Spencer nodded silently. She knew that Emily was worried for their friend... and worried for the rest of their safety. She didn't have the heart to tell her that the doctor didn't know when Hanna would wake up.

Aria pulled up to her house and saw Noel was already waiting for her in his car. She pulled down her mirror and looked at herself trying to make sure she didn't look as if she had just spent the last 20 minutes making out with their English teacher.  
She heaved a deep sigh and put the mirror back before stepping out of her car smiling.  
"Hey what took you so long" Noel asked as he pecked Aria on the lips after she had gotten into his car?  
"Sorry, my car almost died so I had to stop and get gas" Aria lied as she held Noel's hand and they pulled away from Aria's house.  
Noel nodded in acknowledgment. "So I was thinking we could go to an early movie, not the most original date, but its too rainy to do much else is that okay" he asked laughing?  
"Yeah that's cool" Aria told him smiling.  
They decided on a movie that was supposed to be a really dumb but funny comedy, and Aria was glad. She didn't really want to sit through a scary movie right now. Her life was enough of a horror film right now.  
As Noel leaned in and kissed her in the dark theater she kissed him back. She hoped that he wouldn't expect to spend the whole time doing this. She really liked him and if she had to pretend to not be dating her teacher than he was definitely who she wanted to do it with. But it still made her feel weird, like she was cheating on Ezra, like a... before she could finish the thought her phone buzzed in her purse. She broke away from Noel and laughed as she apologized, before looking at her phone truly grateful for the interruption until she read the message.  
**Little Aria, making out with two boys in one day, Ali would be proud or maybe she would think you were a skank like your little friend Spencer... I don't know... what do you think - - A**  
Her smile fell. She sighed and turned her phone off before putting it back in her bag.  
"Where were we?" Noel asked oblivious to her irritation as he leaned back over and started kissing her again.

Hanna's mother sat by her daughter's bed. She still felt hopelessly jumpy. She wanted to get home. To ditch the cash so she wouldn't have to worry about it, but she couldn't bear to leave Hanna's side.  
She looked down at her daughter's sleeping face and a tear rolled down her cheek. Of course now, all her efforts could very well have been in vain. Hanna might not wake up to need or want the money for anything.  
Ashley put her head in her hands and wept.

Aria was definitely in to the make out session. She had long ago lost track of the story line of the movie, and all other thoughts, but as Noel moved from her lips to her jaw and lower to her neck, Ezra came to mind.  
She took a shaky breath and spoke quietly, "Noel..."He stopped for a second and looked up into her eyes, "I'm sorry, I just..." She trailed off.  
Noel read her face carefully, but still mistook her expression for him going too far too fast, "No, I'm sorry," He said looking in her eyes. Then he swept her hair back from her forehead and kissed her lightly there. Aria laid her forehead on his chest and they tried their best to pay attention to the rest of the movie.

Spencer and Emily walked quietly through the hospital. When they got to Hanna's room they saw her mother sobbing silently with her head resting on her quiet sleeping body.  
"Mrs. Merin, are you okay?" Emily asked coming and sitting down beside her.  
"What if she doesn't wake up?" she cried.  
"She will, you just gotta have hope. Hanna's a fighter she's never been one to do anything unless it's on her terms," Spencer told her sitting her hand on her shoulder comfortingly.  
Ashley Merin nodded her head but continued to cry as she looked at her daughter.  
"Come on, why don't we go get some coffee or something to eat. You've been up all night and are exhausted. Emily will stay here with her, won't you Emily?" Spencer said.  
"Of course," Emily said softly as she nodded and then looked away from Mrs. Merin to her best friend.

When Noel finally dropped Aria off it was past nine. She had had a fairly good afternoon. After going out to dinner, she and Noel had gone to see Hanna. As much as she had wanted to go it was painful seeing her laying there hurt helpless.  
She wished she had gone alone. Noel was there to hold her hand and let her cry on his shoulder which was comforting but the comfort was soon ruined. Noel had been very curious, as the rest of Rosewood had, about what had transpired last evening. He kept asking questions, thinking he was being supportive, which in all actuality was just more stressful having to keep lying to everybody. She hated having to lie, she already felt bad enough for what she was doing to Noel, and she hated A for putting them in this situation.  
Aria could not wait to see Ezra. It had only been a couple hours but she missed him. They had spent too much time apart the past few weeks and now, especially with all the drama she really needed to hug him. She needed the distraction.  
Emily sat by Hanna's bed holding her hand. "Hanna you have to wake up please. Toby's in jail when I know he didn't do it, and I think A's gonna try to do something to one of us next. I miss you Hanna. We need you," she told her friend.  
Emily shook her head. She knew it was a long shot. She sighed quietly and sat back in her chair sadly.

Aria felt great to finally be home. She was eager to see Ezra, but she felt odd about seeing him the same way she felt with Noel. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was cheating on both of them. She knew with the way she felt about Noel that she wasn't just cheating on him with Ezra, but the vice versa as well.  
Aria pushed the thoughts out of her head, do her best to concentrate on the now as opposed to the whole picture. she checked her hair in the mirror to make sure it was perfectly organized, and she left a note for her father on the kitchen counter saying that she was staying late at the hospital.  
Aria drove her small car over to Ezra's in anticipation. She waited eagerly until he opened the door.  
When he did he reached for her hand and pulled her inside without a word. He took her face in between his hands and pushed her up against the door, kissing her harshly.  
They parted panting and Ezra leaned his forehead against hers, "You don't know how long these hours have been. Do you have any idea how hard it is knowing..." he trailed off.

Aria pulled his lips to her in another strong kiss, "Actually I do," she whispered when they parted again.  
"That's hard to imagine," Ezra said, and pushed his lips down hard on hers once again. He put his hands on her hips and pulled her as close to him as he could. It was like their relationship had flared. It had never felt this passionate. They went forward with no fears. They didn't care if their recklessness would cost them. There were here now and that was what mattered. Nothing else.  
Ezra started kissing down her neck and Aria's head fell back. He got to her shoulder and pushed her jacket aside so he could reach it. Aria took it off completely letting it fall to the floor, and brought his lips back to hers.  
"This is really unlike you," Aria gasped when they parted.  
"You didn't know me in college," Ezra laughed and kissed her again.  
Aria breathed deeply and made a decision in her mind. She reached slowly for the buttons on the front of his blue shirt. About three down, Ezra pulled back to look her in the eyes, "You're sure?"  
Aria remembered the last time he'd asked her that question, when she was trying to transfer out of his class. This time, though, she wasn't weary of her answer, "Yeah, I'm sure."  
Ezra held her eyes for only a moment longer before his lips crashed down on hers.

Last night had been quiet. After Emily had dropped her off at home, Spencer had gone straight to bed, glad that she had been able to avoid her parents all day. She hadn't heard from A since she'd gotten her phone back from the campground, and instead of being happy about that, she was angry, no beyond angry, she was pissed.  
She wanted A to text her again, she wanted them to try and follow her again. She was done being afraid. She wanted to fight back.  
She was supposed to meet Aria and Emily at the hospital this morning. As she drove through town she noticed that the rain and fog from yesterday were still present. It gave the morning a lonely, ominous feel to it and as much as Spencer was ready to 'fight back,' she couldn't wait to get indoors out of this distracting, unpleasant environment.

Aria awoke the next morning in Ezra's arms. She could feel his warm skin on her back and it felt comforting, but she knew something was missing. There was something she'd forgotten.  
She felt Ezra stir behind her and looked up to see him looking down at her.  
"You're awake," he stated.  
She smiled back at him and rolled over to give him a kiss, "Good Morning."  
He smiled back at her, pushing a strand of hair away from her face, "I like the sound of that," he leaned down to give her another kiss, but was also the one to break the moment, "We have to get to school."  
"Oh my god," aria said sitting up, "I didn't even remember."  
"It's okay. I'll step out so you can get dressed," he said rolling off the bed and pulling on a pair of boxers.  
Aria brushed the hair away from her face, them laughed, "What am I suppose to wear?"

Emily was up quickly. She hoped to get to the hospital in time to have some alone time with Hanna.  
This had really hit her. Hanna was the only one who knew. The only person she could talk to about anything without any secrets. Without her, Emily felt alone.  
She got to the hospital as was pleased to find Hanna's room vacant of other visitors. The doctor told her Ms. Merin had gone home to get some rest.  
Emily sat by Hanna's bed and took her friend's hand, "Hanna," she started and she could feel herself begin to cry, "Hanna, you have to wake up. I need you. You understand. Me and Maya... It's become so much. I think I love her Hanna, and I can't tell anyone. I need you. I need you!" Emily sobbed.  
Emily stared at her friend hoping beyond hope for some response. When none came she snapped, "Why!" She slammed glass on Hanna's bedside table and it smashed on the floor.  
"Why! Why me!" she screamed lashing out.  
Spencer heard Emily screaming down the hall and rush to find her friend. She saw her and quickly moved to restrain hr, "Emily, Emily, No!"

"Emily its okay, everything's gonna be fine," Spencer said a few minutes later once Emily had calmed down some.  
"How can you say that! Nothings gonna be fine, nothings been fine since Ali's been gone!" Emily sobbed angrily.  
"Hannah will be fine, Toby will be fine, and so will the rest of us. Don't worry Em," Spencer said trying to soothe her friend as she rubbed her back softly.  
"No we won't! A will win just like they've been doing for over a year!" Emily said standing up, "When are you all gonna see that? We can't win Spencer!"  
"Just calm down, please, we can't do this. You heard Aria. If you give up all you're doing is letting A win," Spencer tried reasoning.  
"Then I guess they've won," Emily said sobbing as she walked out of the hospital room tears rolling down her face.

Aria walked into the dimly lit, depressing hospital room close to an hour later. "Hey," she said in a quiet voice to Spencer.  
"Hey, what took you so long?" Spencer asked not turning away from a sleeping Hanna, whom she had apparently just been talking to before Aria had walked in.  
"Family stuff," Aria answered in a simple lie. "Where's Emily?" she asked sitting down into the chair beside Hanna.  
"Don't know," Spencer said in a shrug. It was quiet for a second. Spencer let out a deep sigh and sat back in her chair facing Aria. "She was here when I got here but, she freaked out, I'm worried about her... she's not doing well. I think she's pretty scared," Spencer told her.  
"Aren't we all?" Aria responded with a sigh turning her attention to Hanna.

Sitting back, Aria noticed a flicker of motion. Just a twitch of Hanna's lips.  
Spencer had closed her eyes, and Aria tugged on her arm, "Spencer!"  
"what," Spencer asked slightly annoyed.  
"Spence, she moved," aria watched as slowly, Hanna began to change. First just twitches, but when she groaned and scrunched her eyelids, Spencer jolted forward to her side, "Hanna, Hanna! Can you hear me?" Spencer said hurriedly.  
"Calm down Spence," Aria said and she leaned forward too, speaking to Hanna in a more reasonable tone, "Hanna, are you awake? Can you hear us?"  
Emily walked by just then to see the girls talking to Hanna. She rushed in rashly, "Is she awake?"  
"Em, slow down-" Spencer tried to warn her.  
"Hanna, listen to me! Please wake up, please!"

Hanna groaned again and rolled her head over just a bit, "What's all the yelling about?" she asked groggily, hard to make out.  
"Hanna, please, don't move," Spencer told her.  
Aria went out to the hall for a second and called for a doctor before she came back.  
"Hanna, thank god your okay-" Emily cried, but a doctor came in and interrupted her.  
"Is she awake?" he asked.  
Spencer stood quickly and answered his question, "yes, she just woke up a moment ago."  
"Doc..." Hanna moaned.  
"Please don't talk," he said going to her side and examining her for amount, then turning back to the girls, "Now I hate to do this to you, but I'm going to have to request that you leave." the doctor said.  
"But doc-" Emily began before Spencer stopped her.  
"Em, come on. She'll still be here when we get back."

"Where am I?" Hanna asked her voice dry and cracking from thirst.  
"You're at the hospital Ms. Marin. What is the last thing you remember?" the doctor asked.  
Images came flooding back to Hanna. Images of Aria kissing their teacher, of her friends running toward her in a parking lot, of a car driving full speed toward her, images of A, "Nothing, I don't know? Talking to my friends," Hanna said as she shook the images from her head.  
The doctor nodded patiently.  
"How long was I out?" Hanna asked curiously.  
"Just over 32 hours," the doctor said as he began checking her vitals.

The three girls stood pacing back and fourth through a deserted hallway. "I cannot believe he kicked us out!" Emily complained annoyed.  
"He has to make sure she's okay Em. Just give it a few minutes, she's not going anywhere," Spencer said, leaning against the cold white stone walls.  
Emily nodded kept pacing.  
"How long do ya give it before the not-so-bright Detective shows up?" Aria asked her friends, "It's already been close to an hour."  
"Hopefully not til we've had a chance to talk to her," Spencer answered.  
"Well if he does we can always release bitch Spencer on him" Aria joked laughing, as she referred to Spencer's attitude during their interrogation two nights before.  
"I am feeling rather bitchy today, no sleep does that to you," Spencer said laughing along.  
"How can you guys be so calm?" Emily asked obviously upset at their laid back attitudes.  
"Girls, you can go and see your friend now. But only for a few minutes," the doctor said coming back into the hall and interrupting their conversation.  
"That's how," Spencer said to Emily after the doctor had walked away and she went to open the door, "Because in a few seconds, we're finally gonna know who A is," she said leading the group back into their friend's room.

Hanna looked pale and sickly, and the bruises on her body were becoming just slightly more prominent. The doctor had changed her bed so that she was sitting up, and Hanna had a paper cup filled with water gripped tightly between her hands.  
Emily was going to rush to ask Hanna a question, but Spencer put a restraining hand on her shoulder. Aria walked forward and sat in one of the chairs at Hanna's side, "How're you doing?" she asked.  
"Okay, I guess. You know for having been run over by a psycho maniac and all," Hanna said her tone hoarse, but also light and joking.  
"Just like you Hanna, always making a joke," Spencer said, taking another one of the plastic chairs. Emily came forward slowly and stood between the two chairs with her arms crossed, "Are you going to be fine? Did the doctor say?"  
Hanna took a deep, strained breath, "He said it looks like everything is going to be okay. I may have to spend up to another week in here, but the damage isn't that bad. I have a concussion, and one of my ribs and my right leg is broken."  
"Not, that bad?" Emily shrieked, but Spencer restrained her once again.  
Aria changed the subject, "Hanna, before... you know... you were going to tell us something. Something about 'A'... Do you remember?"  
Hanna took a deep breath, "Yes," she began wearily, "Spence, can you shut the door?"  
Spencer got up and closed the door, locking it as well.  
"I was out in the woods, and I saw a car pull up on one of the roads," Hanna said, giving a knowing glare to Aria, "'A' came up behind the car and began writing on the window."  
"Well, do you know who it is?" Emily urged, and this time no one stopped her.  
Hanna took a deep breath, "'A' is...


End file.
